THE BAD MAN: Expanded edition

THE BAD MAN begins and ends with a bang.

Former Army sniper Benjamin Franklin never dreamed he would utilize his military training once his service ended. After finding himself ill equipped for life on the outside after his military service, he sees that his sense of justice is mocked in every job he tries. Needing funds to care for his aging father, Ben reluctantly takes a position as a hired gun for Papa Theo, the Don of one of the largest crime syndicates in New York City.

But now, a decade of functioning as the killer of bad men has come and gone. Ben experiences an epiphany when his young partner, Sammy Sloane, asks if, in their roles as paid assassins, if that doesn't make them bad men as well.

Finally realizing it is high time to salvage what's left of his immortal soul, Ben Franklin begins to wonder how much longer he can do the job. After all, hitmen have a shorter season than most and he's nearly played out. Likewise, he wonders about the tipping point - that is, how many lives can he take and, prayers and contrition aside, can he still manage to avoid damnation. Giving his heart to the woman he loves, Ben Franklin promises himself he's through being a paid gun. But when his boss, Papa Theo, asks for one last favor, Ben simply cannot say no, even when it assuredly means condemning himself to Hell.

A novel filled with mystery, suspense, and betrayal; it explodes with clever writing, THE BAD MAN by G. Warlock Vance, keeps readers greedily turning pages until the ultimate showdown.